Digital transformation is a tangible and irreversible process in Spanish universities. Digitization, which until recently was perceived as a matter of administrative modernization or infrastructure improvement, has become one of the strategic priorities of the university system. This is confirmed by reports such as the CYD 2023 and 2024 report of the Knowledge and Development Foundation (CYD) and the University 2022 of the CRUE Spanish Universities.
The CYD Foundation analysis places digital transformation among the seven strategic priorities. The Covid-19 pandemic was a turning point, accelerating processes such as virtual teaching, cloud data management, administrative processes automation and the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) in academic life. According to the latest data collected, 85% of Spanish universities consider digital transformation a priority and more than half have created vice -rectors or specific figures to lead this process.
Digitization, however, is not a uniform process or exempt from tensions. The Universitic 2022 report, prepared by the Sectorial Cry-Digitalization Commission, reveals that digital maturity has experienced a significant improvement especially in areas such as management, innovation and government of information technologies. The most notable advance has occurred in the transformation of internal processes, with an increase close to 30%.
European aid
The arrival of European funds has meant a relevant impulse, allowing universities to invest more than 33 million euros in digitalization initiatives, since the improvement of digital competences of teaching and administrative staff to the modernization of infrastructure and the implementation of more efficient management systems.
This investment effort has resulted in greater customization of the relationship with the student body and an optimization of resource management, although it has also revealed the structural limitations of the system. Less than a third of universities have multiannual financing plans for their digital strategies, which hinders the consolidation of long -term projects and forces to prioritize concrete aspects of digitalization to the detriment of an integral transformation.
The impact of digitalization on student experience is one of the most prominent aspects. The analysis of the CYD Foundation shows that about 89% of universities perceive an improvement in access and information management thanks to technology, while 74% consider that the level of digital transformation reached is comparable to that of other institutional and educational sectors. The new pedagogies, supported by virtual learning and digital resources environments, have enhanced the participation and performance of students, although face -to -face teaching remains the predominant model. Online teaching and hybrid models have expanded access to higher education, especially for groups traditionally excluded for geographical, labor or family reasons.
Some challenges
However, digitalization has also placed on the table, such as the digital gap and the need for continuous training of teachers and technical staff. The Universitic 2022 report indicates that 45% of universities already have training plans in digital competences, but the lack of human and economic resources remains an obstacle to generalized training. The study of the CYD Foundation coincides in pointing out the lack of digital culture and resistance to change as persistent barriers, together with the insufficiency of investments sustained in time and the difficulty in adapting normative frameworks and governance to the demands of the digital age.
University governance also breaks as a key factor in this transformation process. The CYD 2024 report underlines the need to modernize the systems of government and management of universities so that they can face with guarantees the challenges of digitalization and compete in an increasingly demanding international environment. The approval of the Organic Law of the University System (LOSU) has been received with skepticism by some actors, who consider that it does not provide universities with autonomy and the instruments necessary to lead a deep reform.
Let’s talk about AI
The emergence of the generative AI in the university environment constitutes one of the most immediate and complex challenges. The university faces the challenge of integrating these technologies into teaching, research and management, guaranteeing ethics, transparency and protection of fundamental rights. IA opens new possibilities for customization, automation and analysis, but also raises questions about the evaluation, authorship and role of teachers.
Compared to other international university systems, Spain advances at a good pace in key indicators, but drag structural deficits in financing, autonomy and innovation capacity.